Degassing apparatus for golf course water drainage system

ABSTRACT

Improved golf course drainage systems ( 10 ) are provided which include respective drainage subsystems ( 12, 16 ), beneath the greens( 14 ) and fairways ( 18 ) of a golf course, together with degassing apparatus ( 36, 64, 84 ) operably coupling the subsystems ( 12, 16 ) and permitting venting of contaminating gases generated within the drainage systems ( 10 ). The degassing apparatus ( 36, 64, 84 ) includes a tubular connector ( 44, 66, 85 ) establishing an offset distance between the adjacent ends ( 40, 42 ) of the subsystems ( 12, 16 ), along with a vent ( 46, 68 ) in communication with the connector ( 44, 66, 85 ). The connector ( 44 ) maybe upright to establish a vertical offset distance, or a generally horizontal connector ( 66, 85 ) may be used to establish a lateral or axial offset distance. The apparatus ( 36, 64, 84 ) permits normal drainage of water while preventing build up of undesirable gases which would otherwise rise through the soil and adversely affect the turf of the golf course.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is broadly concerned with improved water drainagesystems for golf courses prone to the buildup of contaminating gasestherein which can rise through the soil and adversely affect turf grass.More particularly, it is concerned with such drainage systems havingstrategically located degassing apparatus serving to safely vent suchcontaminating gases to the atmosphere while retaining the ability toeffectively drain water from the golf courses.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Modern-day golf courses are designed to include subsurface waterdrainage systems so as to carry away excess water from rainfall orperiodic watering. Such drainage systems are important, because poordrainage affects a golf course's playability, appearance, economics, andreputation. Experienced golfers dread a golf course which turns muddyduring wet weather. Dirty shoes, mud balls, and cart restrictions takeaway much of the enjoyment of the golf game.

Conventional golf course drainage systems include subsystems locatedbeneath both the greens and fairways thereof, and each subsystemtypically includes main lines with a series of lateral lines therefrom.The subsystems are interconnected so that the entire system drains to asurface lake or retention pond forming a part of the course, or to astorm sewer system. The drainage system lines are normally formed usinginterconnected, perforate drain tile sections of appropriate diameter(e.g., from 2-6 inches) to meet the anticipated drainage requirements.During installation of the fairway subsystems of an overall drainagesystem, elongated trenches are dug for the main and lateral lines, andthe tiles are placed within the trenches. The originally excavatedearthen fill is then simply pushed back into the trenches to cover theinstalled tiles, with appropriate tamping and reseeding. On the otherhand, installation of the green drainage subsystems is more complex,expensive, and time consuming. In the case of the more important greens,the main and lateral trenches are dug, and a layer of clean pea-sizedgravel is installed along the trenches. The drain tiles are thencarefully placed and pinned in position to ensure proper fall anddrainage, and additional pea gravel is deposited over the tile. Some ofthe original earthen fill is then placed over the

It is known that sufficient oxygen must be present in golf course soilto achieve good turf growth and condition. However, such dissolvedoxygen in the earth may be rapidly used up by the microorganisms presentin the soil adjacent the turf roots. Moreover, the fertilizers,pesticides, and other chemicals applied to the golf course turf tend toleach through the soil and end up in the underlying drainage system. Ifthe drainage system is properly designed, these contaminants are flushedthrough the system with excess drainage water. Nonetheless, it is knownthat contaminating gases such as carbon dioxide and methane can begenerated in golf course drainage systems, owing to the decay of theresidual turf-applied chemicals. These gases tend to rise through thesoil towards the turf roots and deleteriously harm the turf bydisplacing oxygen and poisoning the turf roots. In an effort to mitigatethis problem, it has been proposed in the past to install an in-linetee-fitting in golf course drainage systems and to connect an uprightsurface vent to the open leg of the tee-fitting, such that the greendrainage line, tee-fitting, and fairway drainage lines are all atessentially the same depth and with die adjacent ends of the green andfairway lines in alignment. However, this expedient does not fully solvethe problem, and turf analyses confirm the presence of the unwantedgases even in drainage systems equipped with tee-fitting vents.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,979,148 describes a golf course drainage system equippedwith an underground filter to remove nutrients, pesticides, and othercontaminants from the drainage water prior to delivery thereof to aretention pond. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,172,366 and 6,018,909 describesubsurface aeration systems where pressurized air is injected into thesoil to improve turf growth conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and providesimproved golf course drainage systems for golf courses including greensand fairways. Broadly speaking, the drainage systems comprise firstdrainage subsystems beneath the greens, with each including at least onetubular drainage line oriented to convey excess water away from thecorresponding green and presenting a first end. The complete systemsfurther have second drainage subsystems beneath the fairways, with eachlikewise having at least one tubular fairway drainage line oriented toconvey excess water away from the associated fairway and presenting asecond end. Degassing apparatus is operably coupled between the greensdrainage lines and the fairways drainage lines and includes a tubularconnector operably coupling the first and second ends and establishingan offset distance therebetween, and a tubular vent in operablecommunication with the connector in order to vent gasses from the firstand second drainage subsystems to the atmosphere. The degassingapparatus in one embodiment provides an upright connector to give avertical offset distance if sufficient fall distance is available, andin other embodiments a substantially horizontal connector is used togive either a lateral or axial offset distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a typical golf green and fairwayequipped with a underground drainage system, the system including thedegassing apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a portion of a fairwaydrainage system tile, and depicting the deviations from grade along thelength thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of a portion of thetile illustrated in FIG. 2 and depicting the pooling of liquid in a lowpoint therein and emission of gasses from the liquid;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating one embodiment of thedegassing apparatus of the invention, installed in a golf coursedrainage system to provide a lateral offset between the ends of greenand fairway drainage subsystems in order to permit venting ofcontaminating gases;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view illustrating another degassing apparatusembodiment providing a lateral offset between the ends of the green andfairway drainage systems; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view similar to that of FIG. 5 and illustratinganother degassing apparatus embodiment providing an axial offset betweenthe ends of the green and fairway drainage systems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is designed to provide effective degassing of golfcourse drainage systems 10 as such systems exist in practice. Generally,such systems 10 (see FIG. 1) include greens subsystems 12 beneath thehigh maintenance greens 14 of a golf course, and fairway subsystems 16beneath the lower maintenance fairways 18. The subsystems 12 and 16 areinterconnected and drain to one or more retention ponds or storm sewersystems(not shown). The subsystems 12 and 16 are similar in that eachincludes a plurality of interconnected drain lines formed of end-to-endcoupled apertured or perforated drain tiles, such as primary lines 20and 22 and secondary or lateral lines 24 and 26.

Despite the similarity between the subsystems 12 and 16, they are notcreated equal, i.e., the greens subsystems 12 are generally constructedwith much greater care and attention to detail, as compared with thefairway subsystems 16. In fact, it has been determined that many fairwaysubsystems exhibit deviations and undulations along the lengths of theprimary and lateral lines 22 and 26 thereof with consequent low points.This stems from the common method of installation of the fairwaysubsystems 16, wherein the initially excavated earthen fill is simplypushed back on top of the subsystem lines 22 and 26 after installationthereof, without the presence of pea gravel or other particulatematerial surrounding the tiles. Consequently, large clumps of dirt,clay, and rock impinge upon the lightweight tiles making up the lines 22and 26, which displaces the tiles within the trench. In some cases, theclumps can get under the tiles and raise them, again causing linedeviations. This phenomenon is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, whichdepicts a portion 28 of a fairway drainage subsystem 16. As illustrated,the portion 28 has significant variation from the horizontal grade line30. Normally, these deviations are not enough to disrupt all drainagefrom the subsystems 16, but inevitably low points 32 are created whichtend to collect and retain small quantities or pools of water such asillustrated in FIG. 3.

The collected water within the low points 32 of the fairway subsystems16 contain quantities of turf-applied chemicals such as fertilizers andpesticides. These contaminants will over time decay and generatesignificant quantities undesirable gases such as carbon dioxide andmethane (illustrated by arrows 34 in FIG. 3). Unless remedial measuresare taken, these gases will rise through the opening in the drainagetile lines 22 and 26 and the soil above the lines. Ultimately, thesegases will displace desirable dissolved oxygen in the soil and willadversely affect the turf roots.

The present invention provides degassing apparatus 36 as illustrated inFIG. 4, which is designed to vent the undesirable gases formed in thesubsystems 12 and 16 to the atmosphere, thus preventing such gases fromrising through the soil. At the same time, normal drainage of waterthrough the subsystems is not impaired.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the apparatus 36 is preferably installed slightlyoutside of a green 14 and serves to interconnect the subsystems 12 and16 so as to permit water drainage in the usual fashion, while alsoallowing full venting of contaminating gases. As illustrated, theprimary line 20 of the green subsystem 12 is carefully installed withsurrounding pea gravel 38 and presents an open end 40. On the otherhand, the primary line 22 of fairway subsystem 16 is simply buriedwithin the soil without provision of surrounding pea gravel or otherprotective material, and has an open end 42.

Apparatus 36 includes an upright tubular connector broadly referred toby the numeral 44 which operably couples the ends 40 and 42, togetherwith a tubular vent 46 coupled with the connector 44. In particular, theconnector 44 includes a tee-fitting 48 installed on end 40 with adepending pipe section 50 secured within the lower end of thetee-fitting 48. Another tee-fitting 52 is attached to the lower end ofpipe section 50 and the open end 42 of line 22. The lowermost oftee-fitting 52 is filled with particulate material such as pea gravel54. The vent 46 comprises an upstanding pipe section 56 secured to theupper end of tee-fitting 48. This pipe section 56 extends to a point ator slightly above grade and has an uppermost, apertured vent cap 58. Inuse, the apparatus 36 permits normal drainage of water from thesubsystems 12 and 16, as indicated by arrows 60. At the same time,noxious gases generated within the low points 32 of subsystem 16 passalong the length of the lines 22 and 26 until they reach the apparatus36. At this point the gases are diverted upwardly as illustrated byarrows 62 through pipe section 50, tee-fitting 48 and pipe section 56,and are vented to the atmosphere through cap 58. There is little or notendency for the gases to travel into the greens subsystem 12 because ofthe vertical offset between the ends 40 and 42, and because thesubsystem 12 may be slightly pressurized by gases therein which alsovent through apparatus 36.

The apparatus 36 is generally used where a minimum of 14 inches of fallis gained as the line 20 extends toward the fairway or fall off point.During installation, a trench is normally dug following the existingline 20 towards the fairway 18. A laser level is used to confirm thatthe elevation of the line 20 has dropped at least a total of 14 inches.The apparatus 36 has a total height of about 12 inches, thusestablishing a two inch gravity fall from the green 14 down to thelocation of the apparatus 36. The lower pea gravel 54 serves to collecta small amount of water during drainage. As this small amount of waterevaporates, it augments the venting of the contaminating gases to theatmosphere.

FIG. 5 illustrates another type of degassing apparatus 64 which issimilar in many respects to the apparatus 36, and like referencenumerals are used for the same components. The apparatus 64 againincludes a generally horizontally disposed tubular connector 66 and anupright tubular vent 68. Thus, the apparatus 64 provides a lateral andhorizontal offset between the proximal ends of the lines 20 and 22, ascompared with the vertical offset of apparatus 36. In this case theconnector 66 comprises an elbow 70 connected to the end of line 20, anda short horizontal pipe section 72 extending from the opposite endthereof. The section 72 has a tee-fitting 74 at its opposite end, andone leg thereof receives and is connected to the end of line 22. Thevent 68 includes a short horizontal pipe section 76 secured to the otherend of tee-fitting 74, as well as a tee-fitting 78 at the opposite endof section 76. An upright pipe section 80 extends upwardly from elbow,and has an uppermost flange 82 which receives vent cap 58. The loweropen end of tee-fitting 78 is provided with gravel 54 as shown in FIG.4.

The degassing apparatus 64 operates in the same fashion as the apparatus36, i.e., it permits drainage flow of water as illustrated by arrows 60as well as venting of contaminating gases as exemplified by arrows 62.The apparatus 64 is generally installed where 14 inches of fall cannotbe obtained as explained above. In installing this apparatus, a trenchis typically dug to re-route the fairway drainage line 22 by about 10inches; in some cases a small addition is added to the line 22 for thispurpose.

FIG. 6 illustrates another horizontal offset degassing apparatus 84which is similar to apparatus 64 and like reference numerals have beenused to designate like parts. Conceptually, apparatus 84 differs fromapparatus 64 in that the ends of lines 20 and 22 are in axial alignmentbut are axially offset. In particular, the apparatus 84 includes agenerally horizontally disposed tubular connector 85 between the lines20 and 227 as well as an upright tubular vent 68. In this case theconnector 85 is generally U-shaped and includes an elbow 70 connected tothe end of line 22, and a short horizontal pipe section 72 extendingfrom the opposite end thereof. A tee-fitting 74 is coupled with the endof pipe section 72, and has a short pipe section 86 secured to theright-hand end thereof as shown in FIG. 6. An elbow 88 is coupled withthe opposite end of pipe section 86 and has another pipe section 90,similar in length to pipe section 72, from the opposite end thereof. Afinal elbow 92 is secured to the end of pipe section 90 and is attachedto line 22. The vent 68 is identical to that of FIG. 5, and includespipe section 76, tee-fitting 78, upright pipe 80, flange 82 and cap 58.Again, the lower open end of fitting 78 has gravel 54 therein.

The degassing apparatus 84 operates as the same fashion as apparatus 64,with arrows 60 indicating water drainage flow and arrow 62 indicatingventing flow of gasses.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, an important aspect of theinvention is the provision of a tubular connector between the green andfairway subsystems 12 and 16 which effectively separates thesesubsystems by providing a vertical, lateral and/or axial offset betweenthe subsystems and allows venting at the separation point. Tie offsetbetween the adjacent ends of the subsystems 12 and 16 afforded by thedegassing apparatus of the invention is preferably at least about 3inches, and more preferably from about 3-12 inches. In any case, theoffset separation assures that contaminating gases within the fairwaysubsystem 16 are readily vented, thus significantly lessening theadverse affects of such gases.

1. A golf course drainage system for a golf course including a green anda fairway, said system comprising: a first drainage subsystem beneathsaid green and including at least one tubular green drainage lineoriented to convey excess water away from the green and presenting afirst end; a second drainage subsystem beneath said fairway andincluding at least one tubular fairway drainage line oriented to conveyexcess water away from the fairway and presenting a second end; anddegassing apparatus operably coupling said green drainage line and saidfairway drainage line and including a tubular connector operablycoupling said first and second ends and establishing an offset distancebetween said first and second ends, and a tubular vent in operablecommunication with said connector in order to vent gases from the firstand second drainage subsystems to the atmosphere.
 2. The system of claim1, said offset distance being at least about 3 inches, measuredcenter-to-center between said first and second ends.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, said distance being from about 3-12 inches.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, said first end being above said second end with said connectorbeing upright and said offset distance being vertical.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, said vent having an open lower end containing particulate fillmaterial.
 6. The system of claim 1, said first end being laterallyoffset relative to said second end with said connector beingsubstantially horizontally disposed.
 7. The system of claim 1, saidfirst end being axially offset relative to said second end with saidconnector being substantially horizontally disposed.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, including an apertured vent cap located at the upper end ofsaid vent.